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Wednesday of Lent 5

Blessed is the one whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. Blessed is the man against whom the LORD counts no iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no deceit. For when I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long. For day and night your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was dried up as by the heat of summer.

I acknowledged my sin to you, and I did not cover my iniquity; I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the LORD,” and you forgave the iniquity of my sin. — Psalm 32:1–5


This passage teaches us the blessings of confessing our sin and the danger or consequences of not confessing it.

Luther explains this danger of not confessing: First, for one who keeps silent (that is, who does not confess), his bones quickly grow old, that is, his powers in which he formerly stood in good things are always reduced more and more by sins. For sin which is not washed away by repentance soon draws to another sin by its own weight (AE 10:147).

How wretched is the man who does not confess his sin!

And yet the man who does confess his sin receives the forgiveness of sins. In humility and faith, a Christian confesses his sin and receives from the Lord blessing – forgiveness, life, and salvation.

In the Small Catechism we confess the meaning of the Fifth Petition with these words, which is the very thing the Psalmist is confessing: We pray in this petition that our Father in heaven would not look at our sins or deny our prayer because of them. We are neither worthy of the things for which we pray, nor have we deserved them, but we ask that He would give them all to us by grace, for we daily sin much and surely deserve nothing but punishment. So, we too will sincerely forgive and gladly do good to those who sin against us.


Dear Jesus, thank You for the blessing of the forgiveness of sins! Thank You for not counting our iniquity against us and giving us faith to receive Your Word of promise. Amen.



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